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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30046242">The Arena</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/immapoisonyou/pseuds/immapoisonyou'>immapoisonyou</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Original Domains [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Magnus Archives (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Original domain, Original fear domain, The Desolation Fear Domain (The Magnus Archives), The Slaughter Fear Domain (The Magnus Archives)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:13:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>690</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30046242</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/immapoisonyou/pseuds/immapoisonyou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Original Domains [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2132307</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Arena</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>CONTENT WARNING </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Burns </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sunburns</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Paranoia </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Claustrophobia </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Animal predator </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Blood </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Violence </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corpses </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gore </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dépression </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I open my eyes slowly. What is this place? The air is thick and humid, and the bricks around me are slick from humidity, sweat and blood. A metallic taste engulfed my mouth and I coughed blood. My chest hurts and I keep coughing out blood. I turn my head towards the blinding sunlight and the metallic stench of blood becomes unbearable. I crawl my way back in the shadows, where it's cool enough to shiver, but at least the smell is tolerable. I gather the strength to stand up on my frail shaking legs, threatening to snap at any moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I look up on the wall and I see tally marks. Covering it whole. I refuse to count them. The dried blood tainted the rough stone and permanently marked it. I bite my finger until I taste fresh blood in my mouth. I get down and mark another tally. Tears flowed down my cheeks. I don't even remember what is outside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I have to fight to escape, I have to win. Win what? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The light dims slightly and I can finally see a gate of rusted iron, leading to an arena.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There is no audience, only one person standing in the benches. They are holding something but i can't quite make it. It looks like a bag?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The gate creaks open. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I don't want to get out of the shadows. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I turn around and two gleaming yellow eyes shine. I run outside, the sand burns my bare feet and I fall on my knees. I cry but my tears vanish in steam before even reaching the sand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The blazing sun scorches my skin. Every movement cracks my skin and blood drip, causing pain beyond what should be possible. I finally look around. There’s other people. They look as confused as I am. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A horrible music starts playing, it sounds like thousands of men, women, people, screaming in rage and pain. I cover my ears in a reflex. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Someone starts screaming. A war scream. A lightless flame lit up in their eyes as they yell bloody murder at anyone who had the misfortune to cross their gaze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two people lock eyes and bolt towards each other. They brawl until one breaks the other one’s neck clean off and rip one of their arms to use it as a weapon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I pray to whoever is watching that they won't look at me. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My eyes were steaming red when I locked eyes with the last person standing. They were at the other side of the arena. Their steps were loud and heavy, crushing the bodies of the people lying lifeless there. The soil turned to blood mud, mixed with discarded gore from people that there's nothing left from.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were running recklessly towards me, their feet were lacerated from splinters of bones. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A wet sound and then a loud wet cracking. The enraged person tripped and they snapped their neck. They were still alive and the flame in their eyes only grew in power, burning everything around them. Including themselves.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Musician stopped playing. They looked at me, uncontainable rage flowing down their cheek like blood. They raised their hands, pointed towards an opening in the arena, and remained like that. I crawled myself towards the shadow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When i got there, i finally had the strength to stand up again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The prize. The prize is to escape! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It must be. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The room I shambled into wasn’t an exit, it was shining with gold. Hundreds of lingots of gold. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The heat from the sun numbed my senses, maybe if it didn’t I would've remarked the heat of the gold when I took it in my hand. It wasn’t much. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then it started to heat up. I quickly dropped the lingot. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lingot didn’t crash with a thud on the ground like I expected. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>splashed</span>
  </em>
  <span> in a wave of molten gold along with all the other lingots. Now I remember this part, I remember the pain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I don't even have time to scream before my vision fades to black.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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